Classroom: The alchemy classroom is in the dungeons. Two of the walls consist of several bookcases, a storage cabinet for common ingredients, and a few blackboards. In front of the blackboards and one bookcase is a long bar-like platform and desk space visible to the entire classroom. This serves as the professorâs desk, demonstration table, and ingredients bar as needed. To one corner is a basin into which ice-cold, purified water pours from a gargoyleâs mouth.
Round, student stations surround the rest of the room. Each alchemy station has room for a couple books or notebooks, several alchemical apparatuses (which can be stored underneath the station when not in use), and includes dedicated space for a cauldron, inkpot, and wand. Two stools flank each station.
Class is Tuesday during Block 5 (14:00 - 15:00) (2pm - 3pm)
Office Hours: General office hours are held Tue/ Wed 10-11am and other times by appointment in Vihaanâs office, accessible from the dungeon floor
Yr 3: Philosopherâs Stone/ Corrumpo Spell/ Inveratus Spell/ Baleful Brew
Notes for Roleplayers This thread is also being used as a test for different ways of running classes. Thus I will rarely actually follow the curriculum as listed on the List of Knowledge for scenes, but please assume potions/ spells in the list of knowledge are all taught at some point in the year. Thank you for your patience.
Vihaan is generally an upbeat professor who encourages collaborative work and thinking. He encourages students to submit notes how they think is most useful.
All exams and quizzes are open-note, open-book, and open-partner collaboration unless otherwise stated. In 5th and 7th years there are a few preparatory exam days that are not open-note, but he is very clear what these days are. Directly copying another studentâs answers or without citing a reference is still plagiarism though. For the sake of keeping a quiet testing environment, open-partner means only the other person sharing the alchemy station.
Vihaanâs philosophy is that there is no way anyone can memorize every reagent and every side effect, every herb use and every potion ingredient. What they must know is the general use cases, and they must have the ability to quickly look up this information and put that information to good use. If they see an unknown ingredient, they should have enough knowledge to guess how to extract the desired magical properties, and more importantly, safely be able to perform the needed technique once confirmed. Use your resources includes using people: if you know your partner who will be there will know that answer, it may as well be in your notes. Basically, âby the time you get to OWL and NEWT exams, you will have already memorized everything you need to have memorized for the exams.â
Engage: After a quick check of reading notes, class time always begins with like 5 minutes of answering questions about the homework or just talking about it. Explore: The main part of class is working on a specific spell or potion, or working on a puzzle (15-20 minutes) Explain: Lecture or Discussion breaks down the activity, presents any vocabulary, and basically crystallizes the experience they just had into theory structures and practical uses (20 minutes) Evaluate: Time to wrap up the activity or an an open-note âpopâ quiz (5-10 minutes) Extend: Homeworkâ Usually a short puzzle scenario that applies the lesson to a real-world example or something outside of alchemy.
Homework usually consists of two parts:
The primary homework is a work sheet question set with 5-7 questions:
The first part is 2 short answer history questions: Question 1 is a straightforward prompt or set of prompts that can be written from reading/ class lectures. Question 2 is a more reflective question usually with no single correct answer, asking for analysis on a particular procedure or a brief description on a historical alchemical figure. There are also 3-5 alchemy puzzles of increasing difficulty. Question 3 is usually quite simple: something like âlist 5 use cases for this spellâ. Puzzles increase in difficulty and complexity such that Question 7 is something could be something as complicated as a theoretical problem and set up that will use multiple potions and spells to achieve any number of acceptable solutions. If a student puts in significant effort but cannot figure out the answer, they can put a âI tried but canât figure it out, my notes are attachedâ and still get almost full points. Extraordinary effort or particularly insightful ideas are rewarded house points. Sometimes Question 7 is entirely for extra credit or house points.
Reading: Students can choose any single reading they want, as long as they read and make notes on one of the readings. NOtes can be a summary paragraph, bullet points, a diagram, highlights and column notesâwhatever makes sense for the student. Readings are designed to prepare them for the next week and are checked coming into the classroom (or after if theyâre late).
(General reading) The standard reading is usually a chapter from the yearâs official textbook. It often has the best diagrams. (Theoretical) The theoretical or experimental reading is usually an academic literature review or book that covers the topic. It has a lot of great detail but can be obtuse to comb through, and some of the detail is found in the references workds which can get much longer. (Practical) The practical reading is usually a research article or handbook chapter that deals with how the topic is used in another field. It has a lot of the shortest readings, but also might require other knowledge to parse out and fully understand, which makes up for the short length.
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Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2023 4:46 am
âď¸đŚVIHAANSURNARAIN 84 years || Slytherin Head of House || halfblood animagus Professor of Alchemy _______________
The demonstration table of the Alchemy classroom was a long table at the front of the class that was currently dominated by the most complicated mess that any of the studentsâand even many practicing professionalsâwould have ever seen. There was a full array of vials with all the swirly bits and bobs levitating in perfect suspension. Bowls of ingredients were laid out like an average potions lab, but upon closer inspection, the blackboard to the side of it featured sun and moon phase diagrams and a weather forecast calendar for the month of Ianouarios 353 BCE. To the other side was a full board of what looked suspiciously like transfiguration formulae and a full ritual circle that might have been something used as a protective measure. It was impossible to say if the picture of the bird in the corner was part of the demonstration setup or just a picture the professor kept there.
âHello, welcome!â Vihaan greeted as the third years found their way to his corner of the dungeons. âThis is Alchemy, yes. Come in, take any seat.â
Vihaan made light banter with the early students, asking how the summer had been, and what other electives they were takingâincluding the ones earlier that day. His accent was a curious but distinctive blend of British and Indian and while nothing could quite distract from the impressive setup, his youthful energy did distract their attention away for the moment. He was happy to move aside so students could inspect the setup, but remained mysterious as to what it was: âExcellent question. What do you think it is?â
At exactly 2 p.m. Vihaan took a position to the side of the demonstration table to address the class.
âGood afternoon!â he paused for a moment, giving the class a chance to chorus back. âWelcome to Alchemy. Today, I would like to discuss a quick overview of what to expect from this class. Hopefully, this will only excite you for what is to come, but if this is not what you want, talk to me after class and we can get you into the appropriate classes as soon as possible.
âAh, but before I forget, who is this old man talking at you? My name is Vihaan Sur Narain, and I served as a consulting alchemist at Dar Ar-Rickham for thirty years, then as an Unspeakable here in the British Isles for nine. Your Headmaster Steele persuaded me out of retirement in 2046 âI believe it was-- to share my experiences in alchemy. And all this is to say, my experience is alchemy is primarily practical. If you intend to work in magical research, youâll want to do more of the theoretical readings I recommend. But in class I am here to guide you to put magic into practice!
âNow! I am sure you are all quite curious what is going on behind me. Take a moment to flex your observational skillsâwhat do you see? What kind of magic do you see at work? I assure you, if you have attended your classes this year, you have seen the end result of this work. Take a moment. Discuss with your station partner what they seeâand introduce yourself if you are not already great friends.â
Vihaan strolled down the aisles of stations, curious as to the discussions going on. After about five minutes though, he called the class to attention again by returning to his spot next to the table and raising his hand to call for silence.
âOf course we can call this an âalchemical setupâ. But what is the purpose of this?â He took a few observations from the class, nodding and pointing out what each speaker was focusing on by lighting it up with his wand.
Eventually though, he was happy to provide an answer. âExcellent observations, everyone. What you see before you is a recreation of what historians think was the first recorded Animagus Potion and Transfiguration process by Ancient Greek wizard Falco Aesalon. The setup was constructed from what remains of Master Aesalonâs notes, where he references using divination and astronomy to calculate the best window of time to complete his proposed transformation. Whether or not you attempt the process itself, Professor Drage will teach you about what remains of the ancient methods, and what discoveries have been made in the Animagus Studies class.
âBut today we are talking about Alchemy class, not Animagus class! We will discuss formal definitions for alchemy in the next class, but the purpose of this setup is to demonstrate that many of you have already seen alchemy at work in your core classes. Thus far, your Hogwarts education has had separate classes for charms and potions, or for defensive versus transfiguration magic; herbology and history are treated as separate disciplines. This is an excellent foundation, but in Alchemy, we see very clearly how everything works together. Some days we will be brewing potions, other days we will practicing spellsâCorrumpo--â As he spoke, Vihaan held up the props on the table: a Baleful Brew, then a sheet of aluminum he rusted over before reverting. âInveratus. In November, we will dissect a dittany plant and discuss how this famous plant has evolved over the years. You will have plenty of readings about the history of alchemy, and we will discuss plenty of cases where alchemy is involved in almost every magical field. Truly, what we do in alchemy is see how the boundaries we draw around different branches of magic are useful but also how they bleed into each other. All magic is magic.â
Vihaan went on to discuss the goals for this first year of alchemy in particular. He warned that Alchemy was a difficult subject for many students because of how it drew upon all the core classesâtransfiguration and potions were simply the most common and easily identifiable subjects that students struggled with. The results though, could be incredible. Finally, he got into how he ran class and his logistical policies.
With a healthy fifteen minutes left to class in case someone wanted to discuss concerns or decided they were in too deep, Vihaan waved his wand, and a pop quiz fluttered over to each student, along with a long worksheet of parchment containing their first question set.
Day 1 Pop quiz
[b]Name:[/b] [Full, legal name as printed on the roster please] [b]House:[/b] ## [b]Station partner:[/b] [name]
[b]Preferred pronouns and title: [/b] [e.g. he/ him; Mr. or Professor.] [b]Year:[/b] ##
[list=1][*][b]What other courses are you in? Why did you sign up for Alchemy?[/b] CORE + [electives]. I signed up for alchemy because [Why] [*][b]What other hobbies do you have?[/b] [include hobbies, extracurriculars, etc.] [*][b]What kinds of careers are you considering?[/b] ## [*][b]Which exams in this class are open note?[/b] [None/ Only pop quizzes / All of them] [*][b]Is there anything the professor should know to make this class more accessible for you?[/b] [Most disabilities will probably be included in the roster, but feel free to mention it here or request a closer seat or something.] [*][b]How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Explain your answer. [/b] [Numerical answers only. Plus explanation.] (house points will be given for particularly interesting or insightful answers) [*][b]If you could make a potion or spell that did anything, what would it do?[/b] [This is supposed to be a fun question!] (house points will be given for particularly interesting or insightful answers) [/list]
Homework Sheet
Find a spell or potion or herb youâre excited to learn about and look it up. Summarize its effect and use cases in 2-3 sentences. After doing the reading of your choice, what is your working definition of Alchemy? (1 paragraph)
Potions review: Label the potions equipment and briefly explain (2-5 words) how they are used. [Sudoku puzzle with different alchemical symbols swapped out for the numbers] [Slightly more complicated alchemical Sudoku]
Readings: (General) Introduction and Ch 1 âAn Overview of Alchemical Historyâ in Absolutely, Alchemy (24 pages) (Theoretical) Narain, V.S. et al. (2044) âDefining Alchemy: A Review of the Discipline of Alchemyâ in Winchester, E. (Eds) Magical Education in the Making (pp 32-39). London, England. Obscurus Books. (7 pages) (Practical) Section on Alchemy from the 2010 ICoW Special Committee on Magical Education Curriculum Revisions Report. (14 pages, although like 5 of those are charts)
_______________
settingSeptember 2058 || with Third years appearance 6â3â, a little extra || wearing tweed jacket and dark jeans status New students! _______________ //OOC: Alchemy III is open for the 2058 year. Please see how class runs and in the student learning objectives post so I donât have to retype them in lecture format and text wall you even more >.>â
âQUOTINGâ
_______________
Into your eyes Hopeless and taken We stole our new lives Through blood and name In defense of our dreams We were the Kings and Queens of promise We were the victims of ourselves Maybe the children of a lesser God Between Heaven and Hell đŚâď¸ "Kings and Queens" by Thirty Seconds to Mars, cover by Wine and Warpaint
Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2023 10:51 pm
âď¸đŚVIHAANSURNARAIN 86 years || Slytherin Head of House || halfblood animagus Professor of Alchemy _______________
The demonstration table of the Alchemy classroom was a long table at the front of the class that was currently dominated by the most complicated mess that any of the studentsâand even many practicing professionalsâwould have ever seen. There was a full array of vials with all the swirly bits and bobs levitating in perfect suspension. Bowls of ingredients were laid out like an average potions lab, but upon closer inspection, the blackboard to the side of it featured sun and moon phase diagrams and a weather forecast calendar for the month of Ianouarios 353 BCE. To the other side was a full board of what looked suspiciously like transfiguration formulae and a full ritual circle that might have been something used as a protective measure. It was impossible to say if the picture of the bird in the corner was part of the demonstration setup or just a picture the professor kept there.
âHello, welcome!â Vihaan greeted as the third years found their way to his corner of the dungeons. âThis is Alchemy, yes. Come in, take any seat.â
Vihaan made light banter with the early students, asking how the summer had been, and what other electives they were takingâincluding the ones earlier that day. His accent was a curious but distinctive blend of British and Indian and while nothing could quite distract from the impressive setup, his youthful energy was startling for an older fellow. He was happy to move aside so students could inspect the setup, but remained mysterious as to what it was: âExcellent question. What do you think it is?â
At exactly 2 p.m. Vihaan took a position to the side of the demonstration table to address the class.
âGood afternoon!â he paused for a moment, giving the class a chance to chorus back. âWelcome to Alchemy. Today, I would like to discuss a quick overview of what to expect from this class. Hopefully, this will only excite you for what is to come, but if this is not what you want, talk to me after class and we can get you into the appropriate classes as soon as possible.
âAh, but before I forget, who is this old man talking at you? My name is Vihaan Sur Narain, and I served as a consulting alchemist at Dar Ar-Rickham for thirty years, then as an Unspeakable here in the British Isles for nine. Your Headmaster Steele persuaded me out of retirement in 2046 âI believe it was-- to share my experiences in alchemy. And all this is to say, my experience is alchemy is primarily practical. If you intend to work in magical research, youâll want to do more of the theoretical readings I recommend. But in class I am here to guide you to put magic into practice!
âNow! I am sure you are all quite curious what is going on behind me. Take a moment to flex your observational skillsâwhat do you see? What kind of magic do you see at work? I assure you, if you have attended your classes this year, you have seen the end result of this work. Take a moment. Discuss with your station partner what they seeâand introduce yourself if you are not already great friends.â
Vihaan strolled down the aisles of stations, curious as to the discussions going on. After about five minutes though, he called the class to attention again by returning to his spot next to the table and raising his hand to call for silence.
âOf course we can call this an âalchemical setupâ. But what is the purpose of this?â He took a few observations from the class, nodding and pointing out what each speaker was focusing on by lighting it up with his wand.
Eventually though, he was happy to provide an answer. âExcellent observations, everyone. What you see before you is a recreation of what historians think was the first recorded Animagus Potion and Transfiguration process by ancient Greek wizard Falco Aesalon. The setup was constructed from what remains of Master Aesalonâs notes, where he references using divination and astronomy to calculate the best window of time to complete his proposed transformation. Whether or not you attempt the process itself, Professor Drage will teach you about what remains of the ancient methods, and what discoveries have been made in the Animagus Studies class.
âBut letâs not get ahead of ourselves! Alchemy, some might say, is the transfiguration of matter, such as Iron to Gold. Muggles will tell you it was an early progenitor of chemistry. As with most muggle understandings, this is partly trueâ Alchemy is transfiguration, creation, destruction! But it is also a philosophyâ what is manâs place in the cosmos? What is the weight of a dream? Are these not more questions for psychology or theology? We will discuss formal definitions for alchemy in the next class, but the purpose of this setup is to demonstrate that you have already seen alchemy at work in your core classes.
âThus far, your Hogwarts education has had separate classes for charms and potions, or for defensive versus transfiguration magic; herbology and history are treated as separate disciplines. This is an excellent foundation, but in Alchemy, we examine how everything works together. Some days we will be brewing potions, other days we will practicing spellsâCorrumpo--â As he spoke, Vihaan held up the props on the table: a Baleful Brew, then a sheet of aluminum he rusted over before reverting. âInveratus. In November, we will dissect a dittany plant and discuss how this famous plant has evolved over the years. You will have plenty of readings about the history of alchemy, and we will discuss plenty of cases where alchemy is involved in almost every magical field.
âTruly, what we do in alchemy is see how the boundaries we draw around different branches of magic are useful but also how they bleed into each other. All magic is magic.â
Vihaan went on to discuss the goals for this first year of alchemy in particular. He warned that Alchemy was a difficult subject for many students because of how it drew upon all the core classesâtransfiguration and potions were simply the most common and easily identifiable subjects that students struggled with. The results though, could be incredible. Finally, he got into how he ran class and his logistical policies.
With a healthy fifteen minutes left to class in case someone wanted to discuss concerns or decided they were in too deep, Vihaan waved his wand, and a pop quiz fluttered over to each student, along with a long worksheet of parchment containing their first question set.
Day 1 Pop quiz
[b]Name:[/b] [Full, legal name as printed on the roster please] [b]House:[/b] ## [b]Station partner:[/b] [name]
[b]Preferred pronouns and title: [/b] [e.g. he/ him; Mr. or Professor.] [b]Year:[/b] ##
[list=1][*][b]What other courses are you in? Why did you sign up for Alchemy?[/b] CORE + [electives]. I signed up for alchemy because [Why] [*][b]What other hobbies do you have?[/b] [include hobbies, extracurriculars, etc.] [*][b]What kinds of careers are you considering?[/b] ## [*][b]Which exams in this class are open note?[/b] [None/ Only pop quizzes / All of them] [*][b]Is there anything the professor should know to make this class more accessible for you?[/b] [Most disabilities will probably be included in the roster, but feel free to mention it here or request a closer seat or something.] [*][b]How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Explain your answer. [/b] [Numerical answers only. Plus explanation.] [*][b]If you could make a potion or spell that did anything, what would it do?[/b] [More detail the better :) This is supposed to be a fun question!] [/list]
Homework Sheet
Flip through the textbook and find a spell or potion or herb youâre excited to learn about. Read the textbookâs spell/potion spotlight section. Then summarize it in 2-3 sentences. Be sure to include the effect, use cases, and any significant history it may have. After doing the reading of your choice, what is your working definition of Alchemy? (1 paragraph)
Potions review: Label the potions equipment and briefly explain (2-5 words) how they are used. Match the herb/ spell/ potion to its effect. (All potions covered in year 1-2). [Sudoku puzzle with different alchemical symbols swapped out for the numbers]
Readings: (General) Introduction and Ch 1 âAn Overview of Alchemical Historyâ in Absolutely, Alchemy (24 pages) (Theoretical) Narain, V.S. et al. (2044) âDefining Alchemy: A Review of the Discipline of Alchemyâ in Winchester, E. (Eds) Magical Education in the Making (pp 32-39). London, England. Obscurus Books. (7 pages) (Practical) Section on Alchemy from the 2010 ICoW Special Committee on Magical Education Curriculum Revisions Report. (14 pages, although like 5 of those are charts)
_______________
settingSeptember 2058 || with Third years appearance 6â3â, a little extra || wearing tweed jacket and dark jeans status New students! _______________ //OOC: Alchemy III is open for the 2059 year. Students on the class list have been quoted.
Please see how class runs and in the student learning objectives post so I donât have to retype them in lecture format and text wall you even more >.>â
(Up to 10 house points will be given for particularly interesting or insightful answers to 6 and 7 on the pop quiz hahaha)
Trickblues
Erikk Knapp Aedan MacInnes
âYukina 101"
Ruth Levy
_______________
Into your eyes Hopeless and taken We stole our new lives Through blood and name In defense of our dreams We were the Kings and Queens of promise We were the victims of ourselves Maybe the children of a lesser God Between Heaven and Hell đŚâď¸ "Kings and Queens" by Thirty Seconds to Mars, cover by Wine and Warpaint
